A Canadian digital watchdog, Citizen Lab, reports that Greek television journalist-turned-lawmaker Stelios Kouloglou was targeted with Israeli-made spyware after he served on the European Parliament’s PEGA committee, which investigates illegal phone hacking across the EU. Citizen Lab says Kouloglou’s phone was hacked at least three times between October 2022 and March 2023 using Pegasus spyware. The tool is distributed by the Israeli company NSO Group. At the time of the alleged targeting, Kouloglou was part of PEGA, established in 2022 to examine abusive surveillance practices, with a focus on Pegasus and similar tools. The committee’s findings, as described in reporting, indicate that EU governments likely used spyware in some cases, whether legitimately or illegitimately. Kouloglou told Reuters he was surprised that a fellow PEGA member was spied on using Pegasus. NSO did not respond to requests for comment. Separately, the report references that NSO was blacklisted by the United States in 2021 and that Meta won a damages award against NSO in 2023, though the amount was later reduced.
EU lawmaker Stelios Kouloglou reportedly hacked with NSO Pegasus spyware
A Canadian digital watchdog, Citizen Lab, reports that Greek television journalist-turned-lawmaker Stelios Kouloglou was targeted with Israeli-made spyware after he served on the European Parliament’s...
- Citizen Lab says the phone of EU lawmaker Stelios Kouloglou was hacked at least three times between October 2022 and March 2023.
- The alleged hacking used Pegasus spyware, distributed by NSO Group.
- At the time, Kouloglou served on the European Parliament’s PEGA committee investigating illegal phone hacking across the EU.
- NSO did not provide a comment in response to requests.
- NSO is referenced as having been blacklisted by the U.S. in 2021 and facing a damages case from Meta.
By Raphael SatterJuly 3 (Reuters) - A former member of the European Parliament who served on a committee investigating abusive surveillance was himself hacked using an Israeli-made spy tool, a Canadian tech watchdog group said on Friday.Citizen Lab said in a report that the phone of Stelios Kouloglou, a Greek television journalist-turned-lawmaker, was hacked at least three times between October 2022 and March 2023 using Pegasus spyware, a tool distributed by the Israeli company NSO Group.
2 hours agoReport: EU lawmaker who probed surveillance was hacked by Israeli spyware A former member of the European Parliament who served on a committee investigating abusive surveillance was himself hacked using an Israeli-made spy tool, a Canadian tech watchdog group said on Friday. Citizen Lab said in a report that the phone of Stelios Kouloglou, a Greek television journalist-turned-lawmaker, was hacked at least three times between October 2022 and March 2023 using Pegasus spyware, a tool distributed by the Israeli company NSO Group. At the time of the targeting, Kouloglou was serving on the European Parliament's PEGA Committee, which was set up in 2022 to examine the use of illegal phone hacking across the European Union. The committee focused mainly on the use of Pegasus and similar tools, finding that governments across the EU likely used spyware, "in one way or another, some legitimate, some illegitimate." Kouloglou said he was astonished at the audacity of whoever was behind the hacking. "I was not expecting that a PEGA member would be spied on by Pegasus," he told Reuters. "I was not expecting that they would be as reckless as that." NSO did not return messages seeking comment. NSO was blacklisted by the U.S. government in 2021 over human rights and national security concerns. Last year, WhatsApp owner Meta Platforms META.O won a $168 million damages award against NSO for unlawfully hacking the platform, although the award was significantly reduced. (Reuters)
2 hours ago
Government removes BAT-BMS and another app from stores after reports of e-rickshaw remote shutdowns
The government removes two smartphone applications from app stores after reports that some e-rickshaws are being remotel...
Korea Unveils Honam Chip Cluster Plan as Seoul Weighs Power and Workforce Needs
South Korea’s government and major conglomerates are pushing “tripolar” AI megaprojects that include building a new semi...
Chinese tea chain ordered to pay Louis Vuitton for trademark infringement over logo
A Chinese milk tea brand is ordered to pay damages to Louis Vuitton after a court finds it infringed the French luxury c...